Top 10 Strangest Places on Planet Earth

The Seven Natural Wonders might have been determined too soon. Wonders such as Victoria Falls and The Grand Canyon are definitely among the biggest, and anyone who happens to see them will definitely be impressed. However, sometimes, leaving a person in total awe requires more than just sheer size.

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Some places that exist on our planet are much stranger. These places look otherworldly as if they could only exist on a planet that is not named "Earth." Scientists have definitely had hard times trying to discover how it was even possible for such places to come into existence on Earth. These sights will make any human wonder about whether the laws of nature even apply to those places.

1.

The Boiling River: Shanay-Timpishka

In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, there is a 4-mile-long river, different from any other in the world. The water in the Shanay-Timpishka is so unbelievably hot; it boils any animal alive as soon as the animal steps into it. The temperature may reach 91 degrees Celsius (196 degrees Fahrenheit), and scientists have not yet managed to find out the cause of this deadly heat.

2.

Movile Cave: Poisonous Atmosphere

This cave can be found in Romania. It hasn’t been lit with a single ray of light for even 5.5 million years, and its atmosphere is completely different compared to the rest of the planet. Deep inside the cave lies a lake of “sulfur water,” and the air inside is poisonous, containing hydrogen-sulfide and 100 times more carbon-dioxide than on the surface. However, scientists have discovered an entire ecosystem living in the poisonous cave – there are 33 species that inhabit the cave, and they survive by eating sulfuric foam from rocks. The species don’t exist anywhere else on our planet.

3.

The Petrifying Well: Water Turns Everything to Stone

A strange well in Knaresborough, England has water that flows down a cliff which resembles a skull. The water turns everything it touches to stone. Lapidification lasts around 3-5 months, and everything left in the water will be turned to stone. This process takes place due to an unbelievably high percentage of minerals which form a hard shell around the objects or things that the water touches.

4.

Karachay: A Lake with the Highest Level of Radioactivity on Earth

Inside a nuclear weapon factory once used by the Soviet Union, there is a lake full of materials and waste that is more radioactive than anywhere else. The level of radioactivity of Lake Karachay is so high that it would kill anyone who happens to spend only an hour there. As the Soviets used to dispose of enormous amounts of waste in it, the factory exploded in 1957, and radioactive particles were spread all over the area. A large part of the lake dried out in 1967 and was covered with concrete in order to prevent a natural disaster, but the environment of Lake Karachay is still so polluted that it makes Chernobyl seem like a relaxing spa.

5.

Grüner See: Underwater Park

One park in Austria has wonderful hiking trails you can explore during brisk autumn mornings. But, if you happen to visit the park in spring, you will have to bring diving equipment. The park is located around the Hochschwab Mountains and during winter, the snow covers it completely. As the snow melts in spring, a nearby lake floods the park. For the whole season, you can dive in the lake and see the submerged trails, benches, bridges, and even some wildflowers. When the water recedes in summer, the park appears from below.